Live Review: Slam Dunk Festival South | Hatfield Park | 05/09/21
The UK's leading punk and alternative festival is back and bands and fans alike are thrilled to return.
Since moving to the Hatfield Park site in 2018, the festival has encountered a few teething problems in terms of amenities and logistics. 2019 in particular saw numerous complaints regarding bar and toilet queues, to their credit Slam Dunk acknowledged these issues and this year saw them much improved. Bar queues were, generally speaking, short and moved quite rapidly – on several occasions there was no need to queue at all. Toilet and food facilities were also seemingly abundant, with queues for both being generally manageable.
Some problems still persist however, there was a drastic shortage of bins which led to large swathes of the site being carpeted with plastic cups by the end of the day. Travelling from one stage to another was trivial for the most part on account of the compact nature of the festival, but the Jaegarmeister tent allowed access from only one side, meaning that getting in was extremely difficult (particularly when larger acts were playing) but the far side was much more sparsely populated. Here’s hoping that the organisers will be as receptive to constructive criticism as they were last time around and work to further improve the site, the work they have done so far in this area has been commendable.
Loathe
Not an immediately obvious candidate for Slam Dunk, even on the heavy stage, Loathe delivered a powerful and engaging set that raised the energy level early on. As the band walk out, each member’s distinct appearance and stage mannerisms are immediately striking – every single one of them puts across a distinct character and this ensures that their live set is visually engaging throughout despite no elaborate production elements. The crushing riffs and piercing screams are just as effective as they are on record and all of the band are playing tight whilst firing on all cylinders, Kadeem France seems to be constantly in motion as he tears across the stage and rallies the crowd. Unfortunately, some of the more atmospheric elements are lost in the mix, and a guest appearance by Static Dress frontman Ollie Appleyard turned out to be anticlimactic on account of the fact his mic didn’t appear to be working. Nevertheless, a great showing from one of the most sonically unique and interesting bands on the line up.
Score: 8/10
Doll Skin
Returning to much more traditional Slam Dunk fare, Doll Skin impress with a high energy and none-more-punk set. Sydney Dolezal is definitely the star of the show, never less than pitch perfect throughout the set they displays some physical acrobatics to match their vocal talents, flipping off of the monitor with reckless abandon. Endearing stage patter and great chemistry between band members alongside a strong visual identity only accentuates the strengths of the material selected short but sweet seven song showcase
Photo Credit: Eddy Maynard
Score: 8/10
Creeper
From the opening bars of Hiding With Boys, Will Gould and Co. have the entire main stage audience in the palm of their hands. Whether its the full-throttle, neon-drenched goth punk of their earlier material, the Brit-rock influenced Annabelle or the high theatre of Midnight, not a single song here is anything less than anthemic. Though they only have two albums and a handful of EPs to their name, Creeper could fill a set twice this long with nothing but hits and a nine song set in the mid-afternoon feels like only a taster of what they are capable of at this point. So at home on a large outdoor stage, the band are more than ready for a far higher slot and, if the number of people singing along to Misery is anything to go by, they have the support to justify it. By the time the six take their final bow, it feels like they’ve just finished a headline show.
Score: 9/10
Trash Boat
It’s bold to step out on to a festival stage and play a set that hinges almost entirely on new material, but Trash Boat pull it off with aplomb. Tobi Duncan announces midway through the set that no artist should be forced to make the same kind of music forever and the crowd are on board, as recent hits such as ‘Synthetic Sympathy, and ‘Don’t You Feel Amazing?’ receive a roaring reception from a very busy tent. Toeing the line perfectly between heavier passages and melodic sections, the band are a perfect fit for the festival and armed with their new material its not difficult to envisage them leaving the confines of the tent next time they make the line-up.
Score: 8/10
Skindred
The ultimate festival band, equally at home at Download, Bloodstock, Slam Dunk, Reading & Leeds, and even Boomtown, it will surprise no one to hear that Skindred delivered one of the most energetic, ludicrous and just plain fun sets of the day. Benji Webbe marshals the crowd like no other, commanding the packed out audience to jump and sing along at every turn. The set list, which by this point is pretty much standard at every Skindred show, is full of banger after banger. Whilst you never leave surprised, you will never leave disappointed, no one does it quite like them
Score: 9/10
Bury Tommorow
The first of two beloved British metalcore bands taking the top slots in the tent this year and appearing for the first time in the wake of rhythm guitarist Jason Cameron’s departure, backlit by screens and appearing only as silhouettes, Bury Tomorrow quickly dispel any notion that they are reeling from their loss. The modified lineup, consisting of Ed Hartwell on rhythm guitar and Tom Prendergast on keyboards and clean vocal duties, tear through a confident and career spanning set that leans heavily on recent albums ‘Cannibal, and ‘Black Flame’ whilst tossing out the likes of ‘Lionheart’ for the long term fans. It never fails to amaze when Dani Winter-Bates manages to perfectly and tirelessly pull off his demonic screams, Prendergast for his part does a more than passable job of recreating the distinctive and emotive clean vocals of the now absent James Cameron. The rest of the band are ferocious, and their combination of crushing rhythm and melodic, classic metal influenced lead guitar goes down a storm.
Photo Credit: Nathan Robinson
Score: 8/10
While She Sleeps
Having generated a lot of buzz following their incendiary performance at Download Pilot, expectations are high as While She Sleeps take to the stage for their headlining slot. Whilst the lads are clearly fired up and giving it their all, the performance is marred by some unfortunate sound issues. Bass and drums dominate the muddy mix, leaving Loz’s feral vocals buried and Sean’s intricate guitar wizardry, one of the most impressive and distinctive elements of their recent material, far less prominent than it ought to be. Its such a shame as, five albums into their career, Sleeps are able to put together an absolutely killer setlist that is more than worthy of a headline slot on almost any stage you would care to mention. Material from this year’s release, ‘Sleeps Society’, translates excellently to the live arena whist the likes of ‘Anti-Social’ and ‘You Are We’ already feel like set in stone classics. A great performance unfairly diminished by less than stellar sound.
Photo Credit: Alex Tweedale
Score: 7/10